PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 3rd, 2025: World Leaders React To Trump's Tariffs & Israel Unleashes Strikes Across Syria In Latest Warning To Islamist Rulers
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It's Thursday, the 3rd of April. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the world reacts to President Trump's massive Liberation Day tariff announcement as the stock market tumbles on fears of a looming recession.

Later in the show, Israel unleashes a new wave of airstrikes across Syria in their latest warning to the new Islamist rulers in Damascus as tensions mount over Turkey's growing influence on the country. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We'll begin with the global fallout over President Trump's sweeping new tariff regime, a policy broadside that's severely rattled investors and left world leaders scrambling for a response.

As we discussed on this morning's show, the President unveiled his long-anticipated tariff agenda on Wednesday, announcing plans to impose a 10% baseline tariff on all U.S. imports, as well as heavier, targeted reciprocal tariffs on roughly 60 countries deemed to be the worst trade offenders. Unsurprisingly, adversaries like China, which is also the U.S.'s third-largest trading partner, were hit hard, but not even close allies like Japan,

South Korea, Israel, or the European Union nations were spared. Israel had even sought to get out ahead of the situation, announcing Tuesday that they were dropping all remaining tariffs on U.S. imports, but they were still hit with a 17% trade tax.

The move sent shockwaves throughout the markets and threatens to upend global trade, impacting everything from foreign cars, electronics from China and Taiwan, clothing from Vietnam, and European consumer staples like Irish butter. The Irish do know their butter, don't they? So, how are world leaders responding? Well, I'm glad you asked. The reactions have been slightly mixed, with most condemning the move

and vowing economic retaliation, but some are taking a more cautious approach, expressing hopes of working out a new trade deal, but they'll have to act fast as the new reciprocal tariffs are set to take effect at midnight on the 9th of April. China swiftly vowed to impose countermeasures, warning that "there's no winner in a trade war and protectionism leads nowhere."

Trump hit China with a 34% reciprocal tariff, which adds to previous duties imposed earlier this year, raising the total baseline rate on Chinese imports to a whopping 54%.

And when was the last time you heard anybody say "whopping"? A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry urged Washington to "reverse course" and resolve existing trade differences through "fair, respectful, and reciprocal consultations." Officials at China's Ministry of Commerce left the door open for negotiations, saying that they're always willing to engage with the U.S. on issues of bilateral trade.

In Europe, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Trump's tariffs a "major blow to the world economy" and warned that the consequences could be dire for millions of people around the globe. She said the EU, which was hit with a 20% reciprocal tariff, is already finalizing new duties on some $28 billion worth of U.S. goods and are in the process of finalizing additional countermeasures.

Some leaders within the 27-member bloc of the EU were sharper in their criticisms, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz calling Trump's actions "fundamentally wrong" and a "attack on a trade system that has created prosperity all around the world." Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, an ally of Trump, also called the tariffs "wrong," but vowed to work out a new deal with the U.S. to avoid a trade war.

Elsewhere, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer showed more restraint, saying he was taking a "calm and pragmatic approach" and would not opt to impose retaliatory measures at this time. He was already pushing for a new trade deal with the US before Trump's announcement. Australia's Prime Minister, meanwhile, well, issued a fiery condemnation, saying the new tariffs are "unwarranted, not the act of a friend, and have no basis in logic."

Turning to the Far East, Japan's Prime Minister called the tariffs, quote, extremely regrettable and against our wishes, though it was not yet clear how they planned to respond. South Korea and Taiwan issued similar rebukes, with Taiwan's President calling the levies unreasonable, though he did not mention imposing retaliatory measures. Meanwhile, the major U.S. stock indexes all took a nosedive Thursday morning, following behind Asian and European markets, which

which cratered overnight on the news. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed nearly 1,500 points when the market opened, while the S&P 500 plunged more than 4%, putting it on track for its worst day since the COVID-fueled declines seen back in September of 2022. The tech-heavy Nasdaq saw the largest drop fueled by declines in Nvidia, Apple, and Amazon stocks falling by more than 5%.

Many economists are now predicting the tariffs, which impact trillions of dollars in goods, could drive many global economies into a recession. All right, coming up next, Israel unleashes a new wave of airstrikes across Syria in their latest warning to the new Islamist rulers in Damascus. I'll be right back.

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Like a bull in a china shop, Donald Trump came in to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C. But with his bold reform and rejuvenation agenda comes so many legal questions. Nationwide injunctions. Are they constitutional? What's the deal with birthright citizenship? What about the administrative state? Can he actually clean the deep state and end the politicization of the federal bureaucracy?

I'm Josh Hammer, host of America on Trial with Josh Hammer. Subscribe to America on Trial with Josh Hammer for your daily updates on all of these questions and more. Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. Israel launched a barrage of airstrikes across Syria Wednesday night, targeting military infrastructure, including near the capital of Damascus. Israeli officials described the strikes as some of the most intensive operations conducted in Syria since the overthrow of former President Assad.

In a post on the messaging app Telegram, the Israel Defense Forces said their warplanes hit a range of military targets including the T4 air base in Homs. The IDF has reportedly targeted the T4 base over the past week, part of what Jerusalem describes as a sustained effort to dismantle what remains of Syria's warfighting capabilities.

A Syrian military official speaking to Reuters confirmed a dozen precision strikes flattened the airbase, reducing runways, hangars, arms depots, and its control tower to rubble. The IDF added that the strikes wiped out high-value military installations around Damascus.

Syria's state news agency, Sanaa, acknowledged the Israeli bombardment, reporting casualties among both military personnel and civilians, though exact figures remain unclear. Damascus denounced the attacks as an act of aggression. In a statement from the foreign ministry, Syria called the strikes a "unjustified escalation" and accused Israel of deliberately attempting to destabilize what it described as a "fragile post-conflict order."

But for Jerusalem, well, the message was more about deterrence. Speaking Thursday, Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a direct warning to Syria's newly installed Islamist-led government led by President Ahmed al-Shara. In pointed language, Katz declared, "...if you allow forces hostile to Israel to enter Syria and endanger Israeli security interests, you will pay a very heavy price."

As we've discussed here on the PDB, al-Sharah has made efforts to distance himself from his previous ties to ISIS and Al-Qaeda. He's positioned his administration as a clean break from Assad-era governance. Israeli officials, however, well, they remain unconvinced. Citing al-Sharah's former roles in jihadist networks, the Netanyahu government argues that Syria is once again on the verge of becoming a launchpad for attacks on the Jewish state.

Since Assad's fall late last year, Israel has expanded its footprint in Syria, seizing control of a 50-mile buffer zone that was previously under UN supervision. Israeli officials say the occupation of this corridor is critical to insulating the country from emerging threats posed by armed Islamist factions now operating freely in the region.

And complicating matters further, because of course that's what we needed, more complications, is Turkey's expanding influence in northern Syria, which has become a growing concern for Israeli security officials. Speaking from Paris on Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Ankara of pursuing a strategy aimed at transforming Syria into a, quote, Turkish protectorate, and said Turkish involvement in Syria and Lebanon is, quote, destabilizing.

And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Thursday, the 3rd of April. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And, as highlighted in many of the leading scientific journals, if you want to listen to the show ad-free, you can do that. Just become a Premium Member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed.

Stay safe, stay cool.